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Residential comparison · 13 facts

Chesapeake, VA vs Norfolk, VA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in Chesapeake needs about $79,000 in Norfolk to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Norfolk, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $91,000 in Chesapeake.

A few differences

Chesapeake vs Norfolk · facet by facet
FacetChesapeake, VANorfolk, VA
Median home price$378,400$289,900
2-bedroom rent$1,489/mo$1,256/mo
Property tax rate0.87%0.87%
State & local income tax4.36%4.36%
Sales tax5.75%5.75%
Cost of living index10294
Groceries index100100
Utilities$175/mo$175/mo
Median household income$95,373$66,109
Unemployment rate2.9%2.9%
Crime index32/10032/100
School rating6.8/106.8/10
Sunny days / year210 days210 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: Chesapeake, VA · Norfolk, VA
Questions & answers
Is Chesapeake cheaper than Norfolk?
Norfolk has the lower day-to-day cost index (94 vs 102 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Norfolk equals $85,000 in Chesapeake?
A household earning $85,000 in Chesapeake needs about $79,000 in Norfolk to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Norfolk lifestyle costs about $91,000 in Chesapeake.